Decorating A Cream Dining Room Table

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With the rise and rise of the open-plan kitchen, there are some who have proclaimed the death of the dining room. But we say it's still alive and kicking, especially as we're now allowed guests over once more. It can be such a delight to retreat from the mess and bustle of a kitchen into the civilised, cocooning world of the dining room, where all you have to focus on are your dinner companions. Even in an open-plan space, we like to make sure that the dining area has an ambience of its own – perhaps a statement piece of art on the walls, ceiling lights hanging over the table, and plenty of candles to give softer light after dark.

Rita Notes: choosing china, glass, and table linens

The furniture is obviously key: a good sturdy dining table, preferably one that isn't too precious so that it can double up in another function, is at the heart of the room. Make sure you have comfortable dining chairs that your guests will be happy to sit in for hours; no one will want to stay and talk into the small hours if they're sitting on an uncomfortable chair, however stylish it may be. Lots of people also include a sideboard in the dining room as a helpful place to keep tableware and glasses, and as an extra surface when you're bringing in more dishes than the table can handle.

As indoor entertaining is now back, we should all be getting our dining spaces in order, so scroll down for our favourite inspiration from the House & Garden archive.

Designer James Huniford has breathed new life into this 18th-century farmstead in rural Connecticut, sensitively rearranging and restoring its period interiors to create a restful retreat for a Manhattan-based family. In the dining room, walls lined with old French grain sacks create the backdrop for a Dutch chandelier by H Berlage.
Creating a rustic retreat from her busy Madrid design practice, Belén Domecq has used natural materials, traditional textures and a palette of sandy and ochre tones to evoke a sense of the surrounding landscape. Here a dresser in reclaimed wood by Belén's studio is the backdrop for a lampshade from Tangier and a colourful tablecloth from Marrakech.
The wallpaper in this vibrant dining room by Nicky Haslam and Studio QD was created to match Nicky's 'Balcony Stripe' linen in green. Cupboards in Farrow & Ball's 'Calke Green' pick up on faux-bamboo chairs from Mid Century and Co. The painting Transformed Green is by Rob Wyn Yates.
An L-shaped kitchen-dining room overlooking the garden is at the heart of this 19th-century Hampstead house redesigned by Retrouvius. The dining table is the owners' own, but the chairs are a Forties design – the 'BA3' designed by Ernest Race – re-covered in different coloured corduroys, and the pendant lamps above are vintage Danish, sourced from the Belgian dealer 20eme Siècle.
Interior designer Angelica Squire has demarcated the dining area (which adjoins the kitchen) in her London house with a rug and a statement piece of art on the wall. Wall lights help define the space further, and she has also made the unusual choice to use a sofa instead of a bench or banquette as seating on one side.
A small drop-leaf table around which he can cram six people is central to the otherwise bare dining room in Remy Renzullo's charming Chelsea cottage, where the rough plaster walls lend a simple, austere aesthetic to the space.
Curiousa & Curiousa pendants hang above the Alvar Aalto dining table in this dining room in a Georgian house renovated by Maria Speake of Retrouvius. She also chose an unusual - but extremely successful - rich colour scheme for the room: autumnal colours of rust, deep green and brown are used throughout.
A well proportioned London flat was the ideal setting for interior designer Emma Grant's trove of eclectic finds, with each piece shaping her vision for the space. In the dining area bamboo chairs surround a 19th-century marble-topped table from Lantiques.
The dining room in textiles dealer Susan Deliss' French country home is a marvel. The hand-block-printed tablecloth from Genoa reflects the colours of the original encaustic wall tiles. An arrangement of antique lithographs by Sir William Nicholson hangs on either side of the window. The French windows leading onto the garden let an amazing amount of natural light in.
Farrow & Ball's colour curator Joa Studholme has applied her talents to her own 19th-century schoolhouse in rural Somerset, using carefully chosen hues to emphasise its lofty ceilings and complement her existing furniture. In what was the smaller classroom, a 'Diner Pendant' light from Holloways of Ludlow hangs above an old wooden table bought on the Portobello Road. Chairs painted in 'Paean Black' and 'De Nimes', and units in 'Studio Green' are offset by cheery 'Babouche' used around the window.
Georgian elegance meets modern minimalism in this London family house owned by two creatives, who have employed a mix of reclaimed materials and contemporary pieces to eye-catching effect. A Beni Ourain rug softens the reclaimed flagstone floor. Ochre's 'Gaia' pendant light and 'Sable' leather chairs complement an antique table.
In the dining room of this modern country house by Nicola Harding, 'Stone Blue' paint by Farrow & Ball on the ceiling and built-in bookshelves creates a vibrant background for brass accents, including 'The Plain Table' from Matthew Cox and wall lights and oversized pendants from Cox & Cox. Two 'Palayam' block-printed cotton rugs from Oka were sewn together. The velvet-upholstered 'Safia Dining Chairs' are from Made.
In the dining room of a Scandinavian-inspired Arts & Crafts villa in Surrey, a glass and bronze pendant light from FBC London hangs over a 'Riva Table' in walnut by Fiona McDonald. Chairs from Svenskt Tenn were upholstered in 'Fez Weave' by Guy Goodfellow Collection.
It took 10 people to install the Oxenwood 'Jan Table' (which seats up to 16 people) in this vicarage belonging to the couple behind Porta Romana. Pierre Frey's 'Petit Parc' cotton/linen lines the walls.
The dining room in this airy Manhattan home designed by Rita Konig features a Philippe Hurel table surrounded by chairs from Howe. The neutral palette of the walls, painted beams and Luke Irwin rug places the focus on the arched French windows, which open out onto the garden.
The mid-century pendant light in this Ben-Pentreath-designed house was created by Gaetano Sciolari for Stilnovo. There are touches of brass dotted throughout the house, not least this striking sideboard, which is a bespoke design by Rupert Bevan. It is made of American black walnut wrapped in brass, with a nano-lacquer coating to prevent oxidation. The company recently developed a smaller version of the piece, the 'Polished Brass Cabinet', which measures 80 x 120 x 60cm and costs from £10,560.
Vivid blues run throughout Audrey Carden's London house, including in the dining room. The photograph above the chimneypiece is Anelle's Cornbread by Danielle Nelson Mourning.
This dining area in a Shalini-Misra-designed London house has a table by Eero Saarinen, with a photograph from Marina Abramović's Kitchen series on the wall. CTO Lighting's 'Array Opal' pendant is a close match to the one over the table. In bronze with brass details, it measures 85 x 160 x 130cm and costs £3,420.
The red-leather-covered dining chairs in Guy Tobin's London house are Gothic Revival pieces, while the splashback tiles are from Fired Earth. The rook drawing on the wall is by Chris Otley.
The walls in the family dining room of this eighteenth-century house in Bath are painted in Farrow & Ball's 'Smoked Trout'. The dining table and benches are unfinished oak, and the rug is by Swedish artist Märta Måås-Fjetterström. Nicola upholstered the Howe 'St Bernard' armchair in a cashmere suiting fabric.
The family dining room in this eighteenth-century house in Bath is downstairs, but a dining area at the back of the living room is great for parties, thanks to a 2.5-metre diameter table from Holland & Sons. The bookcase was found in a Gloucestershire antique shop. 'I explain to clients there will be a degree of wear and tear with painted floors, but the patina it creates is part of the look,' says designer Nicola of the brilliant white floor in this dining space. 'To keep it looking crisp, it will require repainting roughly once every three years, but you can get water-based floor paints that dry quickly, so it's a simple job that can be turned around within a day.' The shade used here is Farrow & Ball's 'Slipper Satin', £66 for 2.5 litres modern eggshell, ideal for wood floors.
With sliding doors that open out to the sea, the dining area in this Fife house has a large table made from recycled floorboards. It was commissioned from The New Craftsmen two years before building work started on the house. A polished concrete floor runs throughout the ground floor, while wooden stools from Den Studio provide extra seating when needed. Three mouth-blown 'Mega Bulb' pendant lights, designed by Sofie Refer, are suspended above the dining table of this house in Fife. With a diameter of 18cm, they cost £139.20 each, from &Tradition. Anthropologie's large 'Dhurrie Sofa' is similar to the one in the seating area, with a neat single seat cushion, woven cotton/wool upholstery and mango wood legs. It measures 77.5 x 256.4 x 81.3cm and costs £1,600.
The kitchen in this Edwardian villa designed by William Smalley has a 'floating' wooden bench designed by William.
A dining area has been carved out of the entrance hall at this Bray house decorated by Christopher Howe. The dining chairs are the 'Salon Chair' design from Howe; the door leads to the sitting room.
The blue-and-white scheme of this dining room belonging to interior designers Philip Vergeylen and Paolo Moschino is based on the eighteenth-century painted French screen that hangs on the wall. The hand-painted blue design is 'deliberately not like wallpaper.' Philip worked closely with the artist, Dawn Reader, to create this effect. Dawn is contactable through Nicholas Haslam.
The nearby barn in Paolo Moschino's Sussex farmhouse has been renovated to accommodate guests, complete with a sweet seating area.
The dining table of this flat in the Barbican designed by Retrouvius is made from an old laboratory worktop salvaged from a school. For a personal touch the designer Maria Speake used typographic lettering on the table's drawer handles, which spell out the owners initials and the number of the flat; these can be found at Retrouvious for £3 per character.

The dining chairs from Paere Dansk have been recovered in leather discarded by Dunhill.
A collaboration between a couple with differing tastes, an interior architect and an interior designer, this five-storey town house in Notting Hill could have ended up being a project of two halves. But thanks to an open-spirited approach to the coalescence of ideas, the result is a lesson in balance and harmonious contrasts. 'My aim,' says designer Suzy Hoodless, 'is that when I hand over a house, it is an extension of its owners' personalities, and with this project we achieved that.' Suzy worked closely with Johnny Holland of Hackett Holland architects. 'For many houses I act as creative director for the entire project, but in this case it was genuinely a joint effort.'

Suzy designed much of the lighting, including this custom-made brass pendant in the dining area, not to mention a showpiece flash of wallpaper with oversize, diagonal black-and-white stripes that leads down from the kitchen to the basement cinema room and work den. An oak dining table has beene paired with a set of 'Wishbone' chairs by Hans J Wegner.
The veranda of this holiday home in Cap Ferret was designed by its architect Jonathan Tuckey as the main dining space of the house. 'This was an ideal spot because it leads from the kitchen and has a wonderful view,' he says. Below reclaimed pendant lights fromRetrouvius, the 4.3-metre-long table is set before a built-in bench. 'Because the table is so long we wanted to avoid the clutter - both visually and physically - of having 12 chairs, which would have left little space. The owners wanted to make sure they could seat large numbers of people, and a bench allows guests to squash up to add extra places.'
In the dining room of this Cornish cottage the interior designer Paolo Moschino took his cue for the decoration from the sea, and had the subtle navy blue of the panelling specially mixed to match the inscrutable blue of the water in winter. A collection of old pitchers is displayed on the table.
'Why do we buy poor-quality, mass-produced furniture? It is wrong in every way,' laments interior designer Patrick Williams of Berdoulat Design, who has used salvaged finds and traditional techniques to imaginatively restore his Victorian flat in east London in a sympathetic manner. Such is his despair of our flat-pack-furniture loving generation that his website features a two-part manifesto. Citing William Morris as an influence, he expounds the benefits of a more honest approach to design, with an emphasis on quality of materials, traditional techniques and good craftsmanship; interior design as a form of restoration that places 'emphasis on reinventing and recycling…bringing new life in a manner that's sympathetic and truthful.'

In the dining area he replaced clumsy window architraves with a narrow pencil bead, painting and staining them to match the plaster. The pews, used as seating around the dining table, are from a salvage yard, while the shutters are from Petersfield and were found online.
Inspired by the high street our Senior Stylist Ruth Sleightholme to create this elegant dining room. She injected style and substance into the space using patterned paint rollers to give the walls a decorative effect that is more afforable than wallpaper and used a lacquered pine dining table, pine chair and bench from Ikea to bring together the red, white and blue colour scheme.
Iraninan-born architect and designer, India Mahdav created this dramatic, colourful kitchen. India, being a true believer in the importance of perspective and focus believes when you enter a room, something strong should be there. In this case, it is the colourful dining chairs that add a pop of colour to the room.
Designed by Caroline Harrowby, this elegant dining room is arranged in a way that seems to accentuate the room's grand scale. The ornate dining chairs and textured grey fabric compliments the grey walls and gives the room a fresh and airy feel. The 'Pompadour' toile de Jouy from Christoper Moore used for the curtains and chair add a pop of colour.
In the open-plan kitchen designed by Charlotte Crosland, there is space for an oval dining table in front of the window. From here, there is a view of the tree ferns outside, bright green against the darker leaves of the substantial hedge that separates the house from the pavement.
The dining room at Harriet Anstruther's Sussex farmhouse has original brick-and-stone flooring and low, hand-sawn timber beams, setting the tone for her display of found objects, including a stuffed owl, feathers and a cowskin bought on the side of the road in the South of France. The table is made by Norfolk-based furniture maker Tim Sillis.
The dining room at Inchyra, which leads through to the main hall, is decorated in a delicate floral wallpaper, 'The India Paper' by Cole & Son, along with a collection of antique furniture.
The dining room at this 17th-century Chilterns farmhouse is painted in 'Chappell Green' from Farrow & Ball, which makes an ideal background for the Restoration portrait above the chimneypiece.
In this impressive French chateau, the dining room features a large marble fireplace facing a low table. The dusty pink tablecloth matches the details on the chairs and maya blue rug.
This Victorian house in west London was formerly owned by Howard Hodgkin and is currently home to Linda and David Heathcoat-Amory.

Its basement dining room has William Morris soft green 'Willow' wallpaper that plays engagingly with the semi-abstract seashore by Scottish artist Joan Eardley, from her Catterline period, which is above the chimneypiece. A modern pottery piece stands in the middle. The Gothic Revival dining chairs are part of an original set of 48 that belonged to the Earl of Derby; owner Linda bought 12 from Geoffrey Bennison and had them restored and covered with horse hair.
In Kim Wilkie's London flat, the dining area features a large oil on linen map of London by Barbara Macfarlane hangs behind the Arts and Crafts oak dining table and chairs.
The dining room in Jo Vestey's Oxfordshire farmhouse has a stone chimneypiece sourced in Belgium at its centre. The room is decorated simply, with Hans J Wegner's 'Wishbone' chairs from Skandium around an oak table.
A long, oval table, with its vast surface exuberantly painted by the artist Sara Allen, sits in the centre of the dining room in Tom Helme's Carskiey Estate. Fermoie fabrics lend anchoring spots of colour to the large and airy rooms and the halls, with the curtains and bed hangings throughout by Janette Read.
The dining room in the west London house transformed by designer and architect Rabih Hage has several functions. It can be a grand setting for entertaining. There's a made-to-measure Piet Hein Eek sideboard, striped 'Bucket' chairs designed by Rabih and an antique Japanese silk screen, which adds colour and texture to the room.

The other purpose is served by the smaller table in front of the windows, which can be used for intimate dinners or tea for two, as well as seating with views out over the garden.
Clare Mosley and her husband Mark Bicknell had the ideal skills to restore this previously ravaged Georgian house in south London. The panelling in the dining room, which bestows an elegant symmetry along with the two wall chandeliers, has been painted in a grey shade from Papers and Paints.
A 17th-century oak cupboard and 19th-century American maple chairs feature in this dining room, which is brightened up by a pendant light from Pinch.

WALLS Paint, from left: 'Plaster III' and 'Hot Earth', £42.50 for 2.5 litres matt emulsion, from Paint & Paper Library.

FLOOR Paint, 'Plaster III', £61 for 2.5 litres water-based eggshell, from Paint & Paper Library.

FURNITURE Seventeenth-century oak cupboard, 210 x 131 x 55.5cm, £12,500, from Hawker Antiques at Jamb. Nineteenth-century American maple chairs, 87 x 45 x 50cm, £1,895 for 6, from Giovanna Ticciati. Oak dining table, 'Planks', by Max Lamb, 72 x 250 x 90cm, £2,450, from Benchmark.

ACCESSORIES Thirties unglazed ceramic vases (on cupboard), by Fulham Pottery, 39 x 17cm diameter, £2,500 a pair, from Pruskin Gallery. Stoneware vase, £650, and vessel, £330; both by Iva Polachova, from The New Craftsmen. Seasonal floral arrangements, from £50, from Scarlet & Violet. Banana-fibre pendant light, 'Anders', 45 x 70cm diameter, £1,180, from Pinch. Terracotta serving dish with leather handles, by Silvia K, 50cm diameter, £300, from The New Craftsmen.
Claire Lloyd's house on the Greek island of Lesvos is chaste and so plain that anything decorative, whether a tin mug brimming with flowers or a mottled feather, acquires the status of a work of art. In keeping with the rest of the interiors, the dining room is predominantly white, adorned simply with a small painting and pretty flowers.
In a London flat designed by Max Rollitt, the large dining room window overlooks a garden square. A galleon-shape, Thirties chandelier adds humour to the design and establishes a nautical theme that is continued with blue walls.
The dining area in Rita Konig's London flat has walls are painted in 'Greville Pink' by Adam Bray. Contrasting with this are the yellow leather-upholstered chairs from Philippe Hurel and a drawing by Bill Mauldin from Honor Fraser Gallery in LA.
The dining room of Lady Wakefield's London house is painted a limewash-style blue, which brings out the veins in the marbled cornicing and door frame. The panelled walls are hung with sixteenth-century portraits of the Duchess of Richmond and a Venetian boy.
Pendant lights from Hector Finch hang above the kitchen table in Robin Muir's London house, redesigned by Caroline Holdaway. The floorboards are reclaimed chestnut wood. A jolly dresser effect is created with wooden shelves, backed with tongue-and-groove panelling painted in Little Greene's 'Light Bronze Green'.
Dining room with verdigris garden furniture | Dining Room Design Ideas

Casa Guava, part of the Playa Grande Beach Club in the Dominican Republic, is full of quirky touches, such as the garden furniture used in the dining area. The metal furniture is softened by the verdigris finish.
With its Robert Adam interiors and Capability Brown landscape, Bowood House is the epitome of an eighteenth-century English country house, formed by the taste and vision of previous inhabitants and now adapting gently to the needs of the twenty-first century. The dining room is painted a bracing tomato soup colour and leads onto Lady Lansdowne's Garden where the family eat in high summer.
In the modern dining room of this newbuild in California an 'Athos' table by B&B Italia and 'Wishbone' chairs by Hans J Wegner soften the graphic floor tiles. A trio of vases display blowsy white peonies and a glass chandelier glistens against the mid blue of the walls.
In Johnny Holland's dining room, chairs surround a mid-century Danish table from Paere Dansk. The chimneypiece is flagged by bespoke cabinets from Hackett Holland. This furniture sits on top of parquet that was laid over a new rubber acoustic floor after the whole house was gutted. This double layer has helped overcome the inevitable noise made by Johnny's three teenage children.
Here is a shot of the restaurant that Mimi Thorisson runs from her home in France. Mimi has chosen to recall a traditional French country kitchen - the bronze pans shining on the walls, the red and white checkered floor tiles, the unfussy wooden furniture. Fresh flowers and bottles of local wine are the finishing touches.
Edo Mapelli Mozzi, CEO of Banda Property, has maximised the use of every inch of the main room in his small, modern, one bedroom Victorian flat by fitting in a large sitting area and a dining nook with banquette seating in Linwood's 'Moleskin Velvet' fabric in mustard. A trio of Michael Anastassiades pendants and a photograph by Nick Knight above the chimneypiece accentuate the high ceiling.
Pattern abounds in this dining room belonging to Hannah Cecil Gurney. The artwork on display includes a painting by Alf Löhr from Broadbent Gallery and a graphic piece based on a design by Kelly Wearstler. Hannah has been clever with her use of mirrors - not only do they make the space feel bigger, they also reflect back the plethora of patterns, multiplying and manipulating them.
The dining room walls in designer Ben Pentreath's Georgian parsonage have been painted in Farrow & Ball's 'St Giles Blue' and lined with Piranesi prints. The imari lamp and shade are from Pentreath & Hall.
This dining room at Bradwell Lodge is the essence of traditional country style. The walls have been painted a pretty blue that picks up the blue in the wall-mounted plates and table cloth. The Venetian-style chandelier is a luxurious final flourish.
This dining room in a rustic Dutch farmhouse features a heavy oak 'Trestle Table' by Heerehuis, expertly paired with more delicate bent willow chairs. A late-nineteenth-century antique cupboard is given new life by being painted with 'Ginger' by Papers and Paints, £55.20 for 2.5 litres water-based eggshell.
The owners of this country house in Somerset had not anticipated taking on such a large project, but their careful renovation enhanced by modern decorative touches has resulted in a smart, yet comfortable, forever home. In the dining room Alexander Mulligan's 'Djenne' table with subtle abstract detail from Mint takes centre stage. The dark colour scheme featuring with grey painted walls makes for a smart space refined further with antique paintings.
By combining a considered approach with individual touches, interior designer Sophie Ashby has ensured this large flat in Chelsea has the key elements of a glamorous yet relaxed family home.

Sliding pocket doors can be closed off to separate the open-plan sitting and dining room from the media room. Cream and indigo dominate the scheme, with Gallotti & Radice chairs surrounding the oak, beech and walnut dining table made by Treeslounge Bespoke.
In this dining room, designer Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay introduced a noise-reducing, tented apex roof using a striped Ralph Lauren fabric, with the walls covered in the same stripe. The table and chairs were bought on Ebay and sit below pendant lights from Amy Somerville.

Henri, the owner of this Victorian country house in Shropshire, has enhanced the interiors of this grand property with her signature mid-century aesthetic without compromising original features.
A rustic feel in this dining room was created with unfinished floorboards, bare ceiling beams, darling little shutters and wooden furniture. These combined with white walls might feel cold, but the rug and fireplace bring warmth to the room.

Known for their restoration of historic buildings in Scotland, conservation architects Nick Groves-Raines and Kristin Hannesdottir relished the challenge of saving Lamb's House in Leith, where they now live and work.
This double-height space at the back of Christine Van Der Hurd's London mews house has dining chairs by Paolo Pallucco. Two Massimo Micheluzzi vases sit on the travertine table by Willy Rizzo. The room also features a chandelier by Lindsey Adelman, and a display of Stig Lindberg ceramics.
Playful carved friezes by Richard Epsom decorate the walls of this bold blue oval-shape dining room in a Manhattan townhouse by Hugh Leslie, with ebony and rattan chairs by George Ciancimino continuing the tropical motif.